Zekeracelis Posted October 18, 2015 Report Share Posted October 18, 2015 Sorry, but I am about to rant. Today I took Kato to his first dog park. Everything was going good and he had fun playing with all the other dogs. Then a dog came to the dog park who started to pick up all the balls and hording them. I didn't pay much attention to it because I thought he just like to pick up all the balls(dog park property) and normally Kato does not care for tennis balls. The owner then took him off leash to play with the other dog, Kato eventually got tired out so he went to lay next to the balls. When he tried to pick one up the dog came, pinned Kato to the ground using his paws(he was twice as big as kato) and proceeded to bite the back of his neck. He would not let Kato go until the owner came and pulled his collar. Kato is now really scared to go up to dogs he has never met, he has been keeping his distance to everyone, and was whimpering for a good 10 mins while limping off. I took Kato outside the dog park to inspect him and could not find anything wrong except a sore paw where the dog pinned Kato down. Two hours later; I was washing down Kato since he was covered in dirt and saw blood stain where the dirt was. Further inspection revealed that it was a puncture wound, he needed to be cleaned by a vet as puss started coming out. After the vet had shaved his beautiful soft coat that my lady had spent hours everyday on grooming and giving him the right diet, cleaning his wound, putting ointment, and administering antiboitics; I got hold of the owner of the dog. At first, they would not pay for any of the vet bill blaming Kato for "provoking the dog" as they previously had stated he was ball aggressive in which I did not hear because I was apparently picking up Kato's "waste" at the time. Three hours of talking/arguing with them, they finally gave in and said they would try to pay half of the bill but are still blaming Kato for "provoking the dog". It is illegal for owners to take a dog that is known to be aggressive to dog parks as it is considered owner negligence, yet I am not able to take legal action because it is frowned upon. The dog park is on a military base, and the owner of the other dog was fellow military member and since they have "negotiated" that they will pay half the bill, I cannot take legal. I am satisfied yet frustrated. Satisfied because Kato did not need any stitches and he was not in pain, just discomfort. Frustrated because I cannot take legal action if I want to, and Kato who is a highly trained puppy half way to completing his service dog training is now not wanting to be near anyone or any dog that he has not met before. I hope it is just for the time being until he fully heals. It has been only a day... attach is the picture of kato after the vet has treated the wound and applied ointment that helps from it being infected and anything that can get in it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy Posted October 18, 2015 Report Share Posted October 18, 2015 Poor Kato. Hugs from this side of the pond. Other owners can be a pain, usually with zero control over their aggressive mutt. I hope Kato isn't put off socialising with other dogs because of this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goingsolo Posted October 18, 2015 Report Share Posted October 18, 2015 If my dog were possesive like that I would not take him! What is wrong with people? Hope Kato recovers quickly xxxx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BingBlaze n Skyla Posted October 18, 2015 Report Share Posted October 18, 2015 Poor kato , hope he recovers well soon , try n keep him socialised if u can fear aggression is a horrible thing to deal with Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robke Posted October 18, 2015 Report Share Posted October 18, 2015 Hope Kato will feel himself very soon... peeps like that is why I would stay away from dog parks, if we had any near us... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emma Posted October 18, 2015 Report Share Posted October 18, 2015 So sorry to hear Kato got bitten, hope his wound heals soon. Agree with the others to keep socialising him but stay clear of the dog park, for now at least. Try walking him with one other friendly dog first to ease him back into things gently. That owners philosophy of saying it's not their fault as they warned people is rediculous! Would it be acceptable to take an axe murder into a kids playground and say "hi kids don't get too close to the swings, he's a bit handy with an axe!" Yeah I know that's an extreme example but the overall principle is the same. You can't just knowingly put others at risk and think it's alright because you let them know they're at risk. You have to stand up and behave responsibly. [emoji53] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zekeracelis Posted October 18, 2015 Author Report Share Posted October 18, 2015 So sorry to hear Kato got bitten, hope his wound heals soon. Agree with the others to keep socialising him but stay clear of the dog park, for now at least. Try walking him with one other friendly dog first to ease him back into things gently. That owners philosophy of saying it's not their fault as they warned people is rediculous! Would it be acceptable to take an axe murder into a kids playground and say "hi kids don't get too close to the swings, he's a bit handy with an axe!" Yeah I know that's an extreme example but the overall principle is the same. You can't just knowingly put others at risk and think it's alright because you let them know they're at risk. You have to stand up and behave responsibly. Thank you all. I would love to take Kato for a walk, but I have been strictly instructed by the vet that I should not let Kato out of the house so the wound can heal since it's still open(have to clean it up twice a day so it won't clog) and where the wound is at is where the collar or harness would be and even with the wound covered up, I was told to only use collar or harness when it is necessary but it is not recommended for the first three days. Before I left the park, the dog owners let me have one side of the park that was for agility course to have for my self and slowly reintroduced Kato to my friend's dogs using treats and doing commands with all of them since they are trained and will match katos activity level at the moment. He was still hesitant when they make sudden movements but he was fine overall. So hopefully he can bounce back quick and be that extremely social dog that likes to greet and be petted by strangers and is fine going up to a strange dog with out fear or aggression. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jay Posted October 18, 2015 Report Share Posted October 18, 2015 Sorry that it happened, that's the problem with dog parks is other owners are inconsiderate and/or bring dogs that have no business being there. Also, toys are usually the issue that starts fights, but people insist on bringing them. Hopefully Kato will bounce back quickly and not be afraid Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zekeracelis Posted October 18, 2015 Author Report Share Posted October 18, 2015 Sorry that it happened, that's the problem with dog parks is other owners are inconsiderate and/or bring dogs that have no business being there. Also, toys are usually the issue that starts fights, but people insist on bringing them. Hopefully Kato will bounce back quickly and not be afraid the balls were dog park property. The dog park provides them for the retrievers since many dogs here are hunting dogs. We can use the ball to train them on retrieving a particular scent. I just don't understand that if the owner knows his dog is ball aggressive, why take him to a dog park meant for ball retrieving with other dogs chasing the ball. I wouldn't be soo mad if they just apologize, but it took them a while to apologize but still partly blame Kato for "provoking" their dog by trying to play and chase the ball around that their dog decided to take fancy to. They state that Kato invaded the dogs personal space which I am confused about because all the dogs were off leash and there are two fenced off yard with no one in the other. To which they replied that they are trying to socialize the dog more... In my understanding, dogs socialize by sniffing each other and playing with each other... How can my dog know not to go near a dog that is off leash in a dog park with 8 other dogs running around. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jent78 Posted October 18, 2015 Report Share Posted October 18, 2015 I'm curious who told you you can't pursue legal since the other party agreed to "try" to pay half? Also, in my experience living on a military base, reports of aggressive dogs lead to the owner of that particular dog being warned (and subsequent complaints can lead to the dog being banned from base property.) I would explore my options if it were me in the situation - I wouldn't be satisfied with "I'll try to pay half" and then blaming your dog. Sorry Kato got bit and the other owner is being ridiculous. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zekeracelis Posted October 18, 2015 Author Report Share Posted October 18, 2015 I'm curious who told you you can't pursue legal since the other party agreed to "try" to pay half? Also, in my experience living on a military base, reports of aggressive dogs lead to the owner of that particular dog being warned (and subsequent complaints can lead to the dog being banned from base property.) I would explore my options if it were me in the situation - I wouldn't be satisfied with "I'll try to pay half" and then blaming your dog. Sorry Kato got bit and the other owner is being ridiculous. I didnt mean I can't. It is just highly frowned upon. Since it was a dog on dog aggression, happened inside a military base, at a dog facility, it can be tricky and would not get the result I want from all the trouble. I am just glad Kato is OK, I am just upset about the system. If it had been worse, I would try to pursue legal actions but being it happening on a military base, with the both owners being military members, the security forces have to get involve, investigations have to be done(ie. call all the witness back), I have to take it up the chain of command if I want to sue more than the vet bill(since kato is being trained as a service dog, his fur has been shaved the might mess up his fur growing back when he is from a show dog bloodline which I have records and contracts stating he is approve to be a show dog in official events), I can get compensation for all that if I take legal actions.I do have all the legal evidence and I know I will win because the dog was on the 35 and under side of the fence when he weighs 50 lbs. (all the owners knew each other so they let the big dogs play with the pups but most of them were highly trained and have met so we thought this dog was ok) and didnt think much of it when he came and let the dog in to the 35 and under side, but with all the military political stuff going around and higher-ups wanting to get involve in every little thing in our personal life, it is not worth it just to get money. Also on base, if the dog has been filed as aggressive, he cannot stay on base(they live on base while I live off base). They either have to move, or take the dog to a shelter in which case most of the shelters around the area are kill shelters because of the population of strays. With owners being negligence, and them not wanting to pay a measly 70 dollars because they told me they are making "ends-meat"(I just want the vet visit fee, I dont mind taking the treatment and medication fee), I believe they will go to the shelter route which I don't want happening since it is not the dogs fault, it is the owners. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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